ESS 100 All Terms

A dinosaur is

a.) a Mesozoic terrestrial reptile that walks with an upright stance
b.) a Mesozoic reptile that walks with an upright stance
c.) a terrestrial reptile that walks with an upright stance
d.) a Mesozoic reptile

a. a Mesozoic terrestrial reptile that walks with an upright stance

The largest known dinosaur is \_________________.

Argentinosaurus

Dinosaurs lived in which era?
a.) Paleozoic
b.) Archaean
c.) Cenozoic
d.) Mesozoic

Mesozoic

Dinosaur fossils are found
a.) in North and South America and China only
b.) all over the world
c.) in North America, Europe, and China only
d.) in North America and Africa only

b. all over the world

A fossil is
a.) only bones or shells that are preserved
b.) evidence of life preserved in rocks
c.) a dead animal
d.) something dead that got buried

b.) evidence of life preserved in rocks

Scientists who study fossils are called
a.) stratigraphers
b.) geologists
c.) archaeologists
d.) paleontologists

d.) paleontologists

The first described Iguanodon bones were collected by
a.) Maryann Mantell
b.) Robert Plot
c.) Gideon Mantell
d.) William Buckland

a.) Maryann Mantell

Sir Richard Owen described the Dinosauria in the year \__________.

1284

The "Bone Wars" were waged between
a.) Chapman and Janensch
b.) Brown and Sternberg
c.) Cope and Marsh
d.) Buckland and Mantell

c.) Cope and Marsh

The scientists most responsible for revolutionizing our perceptions of dinosaurs were
a.) Ostrom, Bakker and Gauthier
b.) O.C. Marsh and Charles Knight
c.) Buckland, Mantell and Plot
d.) Sir Richard Owen and Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins

a.) Ostrom, Bakker and Gauthier

The basic foundation of scientific inquiry is

a.) faith
b.) supernatural beings and gods
c.) evidence gathered from the natural world
d.) myths and superstition

c.) evidence gathered from the natural world

Quadrupedal means
a.) walks with legs splayed to the side
b.) walks on two feet
c.) walks with legs directly under body
d.) walks on four feet

d.) walks on four feet

Upright stance means
a.) walks with legs directly under body
b.) walks on two feet
c.) walks on four feet
d.) walks with legs splayed to the side

a.) walks with legs directly under body

The type of fossil that tells us most about the appearance of an extinct animal is a

a.) biologic fossil
b.) chemical fossil
c.) trace fossil
d.) body fossil

d.) body fossil

The replacement of original material by minerals carried in groundwater is called

a.) preservation
b.) conservation
c.) percolation
d.) transmutation

a.) preservation

In order to infer that dinosaurs had different colored skins we

a.) guess
b.) use artistic license
c.) make it ip
d.) use the present as the key to the past

d.) use the present as the key to the past

Which of the following statements is correct?

a.) Dinosaurs lived in the ocean
b.) Pterosaurs and marine reptiles were NOT dinosaurs
c.) Archaeologists study dinosaur fossils
d.) Dinosaur fossils are only found in North America and China.

b.) Pterosaurs and marine reptiles were NOT dinosaurs

The types of fossils are

a.) Bones, teeth and skin
b.) Body, trace and chemical
c.) Rocks and minerals
d.) Amber and mummies

b.) Body, trace and chemical

In order for an organism to become a fossil, which of the following must happen?

a.) Animal must fall into a tar pit
b.) Any dead animal becomes a fossil
c.) Flesh removed by other animals, burial.
d.) Rapid burial, preservation, incorporation into rocks

d.) Rapid burial, preservation, incorporation into rocks

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of tetrapods?
a.) 3-chambered heart
b.) warm blooded
c.) amniotic egg
d.) four legs

b.) warm blooded

A diagram of a phylogeny is called a
a. time scale
b. stratigraphic column
c. time table
d. cladogram

d. cladogram

A diagram depicting evolutionary relationships of organisms descended from a common ancestor is
a. binomial classification
b. a phylogeny
c. a chart
d. taxonomy

b. a phylogeny

The higher up on a cladogram animals are
a. the more characteristics they share
b. the fewer characteristics they share
c. the younger they are
d. the older they are

a. the more characteristics they share

The primary division among reptiles is base on

a. their stance
b. The arrangement of their skull bones
c. their size
d. their teeth

b. The arrangement of their skull bones

Post orbital means

a. behind the nares
b. behind the eye socket
c. on top of the skull
d. in front of the eye opening

b. behind the eye socket

A fenestra is

a. a bone at the back of the skull
b. a hole in the skull
c. a type of tooth
d. a bone in the leg

b. a hole in the skull

Synapsids are also known as the

a. phytosaurs
b. mammal-like reptiles
c. dinosaurs
d. crocodiles

b. mammal-like reptiles

Fenestrae in skulls serve what function?

a. facilitate chewing
b. allow better hearing
c. allow the jaw to open wider
d. Lighten the skulls and provide more room for muscle attachment

d. Lighten the skulls and provide more room for muscle attachmen

An ectothermic animal

a. maintains it body heat through its metabolism
b. derives its body heat from the surrounding air
c. walks on four legs
d. maintains a relatively stable body temperature different from the air, but not through its metabolism

b. derives its body heat from the surrounding air

An endothermic animal is also called

a. warm-blooded
b. stable-blooded
c. cold blooded
d. quadrupedal

a. warm-blooded

The line of reptiles that includes the dinosaurs is the

a. anapsids
b. synapsids
c. diapsids
d. euryapsids

c. diapsids

The nares is

a. the eye opening
b. the bone behind the eye socket
c. the nasal opening

c. the nasal opening

Dinosaurs are diapsid reptiles. This means they

a. have two post-orbital fenestrae in their skulls
b. are tetrapods
c. walk on four legs
d. walk on two legs

a. have two post-orbital fenestrae in their skulls

The archosaurs are defined by having (among other things)

a. quadrupedal locomotion
b. sharp pointed teeth
c. antorbital fenestra
d. enlarged nares

c. antorbital fenestra

Which of the following are all archosaurs?

a. crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs
b. crocodiles, lizards, turtles
c. marine reptiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs
d. crocodiles, dinosaurs, turtles

a. crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs

The fourth trochanter is a very important defining feature of archosaurs. What is it?

a. a large bony process on the pelvis for the attachment of muscles
b. a specially shaped rib
c. one of the teeth in the lower jaw
d. a large bony process on the femur for the attachment of muscles

d. a large bony process on the femur for the attachment of muscles

Which of the following is NOT a defining characteristic of archosaurs?

a. high crowned head
b. mandibular fenestra
c. limbs adapted for swimming
d. teeth set in sockets

c. limbs adapted for swimming

Within the archosaurs, the crocodiles are separated from the pterosaurs and dinosaurs on the basis of

a. number of post-orbital fenestrae
b. shape of teeth
c. ankle shape
d. number of antorbital fenestrae

c. ankle shape

Which of the following is NOT a defining characteristic of dinosaurs?

a. limbs adapted for flight
b. acetabulum
c. ribs with two heads
d. 3-5 fused sacral vertebrae

a. limbs adapted for flight

Dinosauria are divided into two clades based on what?

a. the number of post-orbital fenestrae
b. quadrupedal versus bipedal stance
c. the arrangement of the pelvic bones
d. the shape of their teeth

c. the arrangement of the pelvic bones

The ornithischian hip structure has the pubic bone tilted backward or forward?

backward

Dinosaurs lived in which geologic era?

a. Paleozoic
b. Precambrian
c. Mesozoic
d. Cenozoic

c. Mesozoic

Mesozoic time was

a. 200 ma - 145 ma
b. 250 ma - 200 ma
c. 145 ma - 66 ma
d. 250 ma - 66 ma

d. 250 ma - 66 ma

The periods of the Mesozoic era are

a. Permian, Triassic, Jurassic
b. Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic
c. Jurassic, Cretaceous, Haleocene
d. Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous

d. Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous

At the beginning of the Mesozoic

a. all the continents were joined together
b. the continents were separated, like today
c. the dinosaurs were already rulers of the Earth
d. the climate was like today's climate

a. all the continents were joined together

At the beginning of the Mesozoic

a. sea levels were low
b. glaciers covered the poles
c. the climate was wet and cold
d. there were no polar ice caps on Earth

d. there were no polar ice caps on Earth

The continents began splitting apart in the

a. Late Jurassic
b. Early Jurassic
c. Late Cretaceous
d. Late Triassic

a. Late Jurassic

A large land mass such as Pangea

a. causes intense weather and temperature extremes
b. results in cool temperatures
c. causes mild temperatures
d. makes continental interiors cold and wet

a. causes intense weather and temperature extremes

In the Late Cretaceous

a. temperatures were warmer than today
b. there were ice caps at the poles
c. temperatures were cooler than today
d. sea levels were lower than today

a. temperatures were warmer than today

Which of the following is NOT true of Triassic dinosaurs?

a. they were terrestrial
b. they were huge
c. they had small heads
d. they were bipedal

b. they were huge

The oldest dinosaur known is

a. Ceolophysis
b. Eoraptor
c. Eodromaeus
d. Herrerasaurus

b. Eoraptor

Which of the following is NOT true of Nyasasaurus and Asilisaurus?

a. they are older than Eodromaeus and Eoraptor
b. they are both dinosaurs
c. they were found in Africa
d. they are dinosauriforms

b. they are both dinosaurs

The largest dinosaur in the Triassic was

a. Eoraptor
b. Herrerasaurus
c. Plateosaurus
d. Eodromaeus

c. Plateosaurus

A diagram of a phylogeny is called

a. a time scale
b. a cladogram
c. a time table
d. a stratigraphic column

b. a cladogram

The higher up on a cladogram animals are

a. the fewer characteristics they share
b. the older they are
c. the more characteristics they share
d. the younger they are

c. the more characteristics they share

Fossils are found in what kind of rocks?

a. igneous
b. sedimentary
c. metamorphic

b. sedimentary

Sediments are generally transported by

a. ice
b. water
c. wind

b. water

Dinosaur fossils are typically found in which depositional environments?

a. lakes and swamps
b. sand dunes
c. deep sea sediments
d. sea shore deposits

a. lakes and swamps

In geology, a formation is

a. a weirdly shaped rock
b. a group of rocks that all look the same
c. a group of paleontologists lined up in a row looking for fossils
d. a group of strata that can be mapped on the Earth's surface

d. a group of strata that can be mapped on the Earth's surface

When layers of rocks are piled up, the oldest is

a. in the middle
b. unknown with out dating the rocks
c. on the top
d. on the bottom

d. on the bottom

When we say one layer of rock is older than another, we are giving its

a. possible age
b. relative age
c. actual age
d. biostratigraphic correlation

b. relative age

Dating rocks using radioactive minerals is called

a. relative dating
b. radiometric dating
c. biostratigraphic dating
d. speed dating

b. radiometric dating

After two half-lives, how much of the radioactive parent element is left?

a. 25%
b. 50%
c. 12.5%
d. 100%

a. 25%

Matching fossils in one rock to those in another is called

a. radiometric dating
b. relative dating
c. stratigraphy
d. biostratigraphic correlation

d. biostratigraphic correlation

A primitive dinosaur

a. has the characteristics of the last common ancestor plus others
b. is superior to derived dinosaurs
c. is inferior to derived dinosaurs
d. has only the characteristics of the last common ancestor, but little more

d. has only the characteristics of the last common ancestor, but little more

An inset tooth row

a. allows better food gathering
b. makes the teeth more prone to decay
c. gets in the way of food gathering
d. allows the teeth to show on the outside

a. allows better food gathering

What physical evidence suggests that Laenllynosaura was able to function in the winter darkness of high latitudes?

a. small hands and feet
b. small size
c. relatively large skull
d. large orbits and optic nerve

d. large orbits and optic nerve

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of thyreophorans?

a. small brain/body weight ratio
b. large head and bipedal stance
c. antorbital fenestra mostly or fully closed
d. bony armor

b. large head and bipedal stance

What is the MOST LIKELY use of the plates on stegasaurs' backs?

a. defense
b. changing color
c. thermoregulation
d. species recognition and sexual selection

d. species recognition and sexual selection

Ankylosaurs are found only in the

a. Jurassic
b. Permean
c. Cretaceous
d. Triassic

c. Cretaceous

After 2 half lives, how much Parent element will remain?

a. 12.5%
b. 50%
c. 35%
d. 25%

d. 25%

All ornithischians are characterized by

a. sharp pointed teeth, forward pointing pubis, bipedal stance
b. ossified tendons, forward pointing pubis
c. synapsid skull, backward pointing pubis, ossified tendons
d. Leaf-shaped teeth, backward pointing pubis, ossified tendons

d. Leaf-shaped teeth, backward pointing pubis, ossified tendons

In thyreophorans

a. they are quadrupedal
b. the antorbital fenestra is closed or nearly s
c. the body has bony armor
d. all of the other answers

d. all of the other answers

A rough estimate of intelligence in dinosaurs can be found using the
a. Skull size
b. Ratio of skull size to body size
c. Encephalization Quotient
d. IQ test

c. Encephalization Quotient

The majority of herbivorous dinosaurs ate

a. Flowering plants grasses, cycads
b. Ferns, conifers, horsetails
c. Ferns, gingkos, cycads, grasses
d. Grasses, confiers, ferns

b. Ferns, conifers, horsetails

Angiosperms radiated strongly in the

a. Late Jurassic
b. Late Triassic
c. Early Jurassic
d. Late Cretaceous

d. Late Cretaceous

Angiosperms became dominant because

a. They grew taller so could reach the sunlight
b. Animals liked eating them more than other plants
c. They have more efficient reproduction and greater diversity
d. Conifers and cycads died out

c. They have more efficient reproduction and greater diversity

Ornithopods are comprised of

a. Ankylosaurs and stegosaurs
b. Hadrosaurs and stegosaurs
c. Iquanodonts and ankylosaurs
d. Iguanodonts and Hadrosaurs

d. Iguanodonts and Hadrosaurs

A facultative quadruped

a. Walks only on four legs
b. Prefers to walk on four legs but can walk on two
c. Prefers to walk on two legs but can walk on four
d. Walks only on two legs

c. Prefers to walk on two legs but can walk on four

Which of the following are ornithopod characteristics?

a. Huge size, bird-shaped feet with hooves, leaf-shaped teeth, complex skull features
b. Small size, bird-shaped feet with hooves, leaf-shaped teeth, complex skull features
c. Huge size, bird-shaped feet with hooves, sharp pointed teeth, complex skull features
d. Huge size, bird-shaped feet with hooves, leaf-shaped teeth, antorbital fenestra closed.

a. Huge size, bird-shaped feet with hooves, leaf-shaped teeth, complex skull features

Large, closely-packed tooth batteries are characteristic of

a. Stegosaurs
b. Iguanodonts
c. Hadrosaurs
d. Ankylosaurs

c. Hadrosaurs

The features separating Hadrosaurs from Iguanodonts were mostly related to

a. Greater diversity of habitat
b. Nesting behaviors
c. Being able to run faster
d. More efficient food gathering

d. More efficient food gathering

Gideon Mantell's "nose spike" on Iguanodonts really belongs where?

a. On the end of the tail
b. First digit of the hand
c. Second digit of the foot
d. On the nose

b. First digit of the hand

Iguanodonts are

a. Primitive ornithischians
b. Derived ornithopods
c. Thyrephorans
d. Primitive ornithopods

d. Primitive ornithopods

Which of the hip structures below could belong to a hadrosaur?

a. Pelvis A
b. Pelvis B

a. Pelvis A

The main differences between Iguanodonts and Hadrosaurs are related to

a. huge size
b. bipedality
c. the thumb spike
d. increased efficiency in digestion

d. increased efficiency in digestion

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of hadrosaurs?

a. tooth batteries
b. thumb spike on the first digit of hand
c. elongated snout
d. enlarged nares

b. thumb spike on the first digit of hand

The premaxilla in the hadrosaur

a. is part of the jaw joint
b. forms the duck bill
c. contains the tooth battery
d. may have been used to make sounds

b. forms the duck bill

Which of the following do NOT contribute to better food processing in Hadrosaurs?

a. elongated nares
b. lowered jaw joint
c. cranial hinge
d. tooth batteries

a. elongated nares

Crested dinosaurs may have used their crests for

a. signaling
b. warming the air before it went into their lungs
c. breathing underwater
d. breathing fire

a. signaling

One good piece of evidence for hadrosaur migration is

a. their diets
b. their size
c. huge trackways
d. the shape of their feet

c. huge trackways

Unossified bone ends on baby Maiasaura mean

a. the babies could not move far and had to have parental care
b. scientists can tell which sex the baby is
c. the babies were diseased
d. the babies could get up and run a few hours after they hatched

a. the babies could not move far and had to have parental care

Nests set in sequential layers in the rock suggest

a. the adults were attracted to the smell of old nests
b. Maiasaura adults returned to the same place to lay their eggs
c. it suggests nothing; it was just accidental
d. there were limited places to make nests

b. Maiasaura adults returned to the same place to lay their eggs

A fast growth rate in Hadrosaurs is suggested by

a. bipedalism
b. their huge size
c. the presence of tooth batteries
d. studies of their bones in thin section

d. studies of their bones in thin section

Hadrosaurs were most common in the

a. mid-Jurassic
b. late Cretaceous
c. late Jurassic
d. early Cretaceous

b. late Cretaceous

By the end of the Cretaceous, there were more \___________ than any other dinosaur.

a. Ankylosaurs
b. Hadrosaurs
c. Iguanodonts
d. Stegosaurs

b. Hadrosaurs

Marginocephalia means

a. many horned
b. walks on four legs
c. thick skull
d. ridged head

d. ridged head

The distinguishing skull features on both clades of Marginocephalians are formed by

a. a lowered jaw joint
b. advanced cranial hinges
c. a shelf of bone extending from the back of the skull
d. an expanded nares

c. a shelf of bone extending from the back of the skull

Pachycephalosaurs are distinguished from Ceratopsia by their

a. frill
b. thickened dome
c. rostral bone
d. dental batteries

b. thickened dome

A study of coprolites suggests hadrosaurs and ceratopsians ate

a. small, scavenged carcasses
b. fungus they got from rotting wood
c. insects
d. fish

b. fungus they got from rotting wood